These Are the Winners of the Tales of the Cocktail 2016 Spirited Awards

The Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans culminated Saturday night with the 10th annual Spirited Awards. Industry luminaries from around the world gathered at the Sheraton Hotel New Orleans to celebrate the past year of exemplary work by bars, bartenders, writers, brand ambassadors, distillers and other experts.

Winners were announced for more than 20 American, international and global categories, including The Connaught Bar in London, which took home World’s Best Cocktail Bar. Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon won Best American Bartender, while Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five in Tokyo, Japan won in the International Bartender category. The panel of 112 industry pros, led by chairmen Simon Ford, Jacob Briars and David Wondrich, didn’t have an easy time narrowing things down. The 2016 field was the largest set of nominees to date.

Georgette Moger-Petraske accepted the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards on behalf of her late husband Sasha Petraske, renowned bartender and founder of New York’s Milk & Honey. The full list of winners is below.

Best American Bar Team
ABV San Francisco

Best American Brand Ambassador
Colin Asare-Appiah (Bacardi)

Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar
Herbs & Rye (Las Vegas)

Best American Restaurant Bar
Saxon + Parole (New York)

American Bartender of the Year
Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common (Portland)

Best American Cocktail Bar
Smuggler’s Cove (San Francisco)

Best American Hotel Bar
The Elephant Bar at The NoMad (New York)

Best New American Cocktail Bar
Sweet Liberty (Miami Beach)

International Categories

Best International Bar Team
American Bar at the Savoy (London)

Best International Brand Ambassador
Max Warner (Chivas Regal)

Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar
Callooh Callay (London)

Best International Restaurant Bar
Hawksmoor Spitalfields (London)

International Bartender of the Year
Hidetsugu Ueno of Bar High Five (Tokyo)

Best International Cocktail Bar
Happiness Forgets (London)

Best International Hotel Bar
The Connaught Bar at The Connaught (London)

Best New International Cocktail Bar
Oriole (London)

Writing

Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication
Cocktail Lovers

Best New Cocktail & Bartending Book
The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual: Secret Recipes and Barroom Tales from Two Belfast Boys Who Conquered the Cocktail World by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry and Ben Schaffer

Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer
Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Best New Spirits Book
Divided Spirits - Tequila, Mezcal, and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen

Global

Best Bar Mentor
Angus Winchester

World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Dandelyan (London)

Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient
Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple (Barbados)

World’s Best Spirits Selection
Tommy’s (San Francisco)

World’s Best Cocktail Bar
The Connaught Bar at the Connaught (London)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sasha Petraske